How many people know that Fritz Kreisler (1875-1963)
the famous violinist and composer of works for violin and piano wrote a string
quartet--and a very good one too. That it is good is really no surprise, not
only because Kreisler was a talented composer, but also because he was a regular
string quartet player. Of course, it does not sound anything like his sweet
morsels such as Liebesfreud or Schön Rosmarin.

Kreisler's quartet was completed in 1922. In the
preceding decade, there had been many new and, some would say, shocking
developments in music. Those who, as Kreisler, rejected the atonalism of
Schönberg and his Second Vienna School, could no longer write in the idiom of
Brahms. New ways had to be found. Composers such as Dohnanyi, Weigl, Weiner,
Stravinsky, to name but a few, all struck out in different directions, while
retaining some aspects of traditional tonalism.

Many critics have considered Kreisler's quartet to
be programmatic and autobiographical as was Smetana's From My Life.
Kreisler, however, never openly admitted this although he did tell his
biographer, "It is my tribute to Vienna." (his birthplace) The opening movement,
Allegro moderato but also titled Fantasia, immediately strikes a note of
tragic drama with the opening cello solo. The main part of the movement does not
turn out to be tragic but nonetheless has an eerie aura and gives off a haunted
sense. The tonality of the following Scherzo, Allegro vivo con spirito,
has a waywardness about it as the music dances along, literally bursting with
energy. The languid trio section provides a mighty contrast. A slow movement,
Andante con moto, also has a title: Introduction & Romance. The music is
poignant and portrays an aching or a yearning for something lost. In main theme
of the finale, has a rhythmic gaiety to it. It is an updated version of a
Viennese dance tune. Slowly the music builds to a huge dramatic climax which is
capped by the restatement of the tragic utterance of the opening cello solo. The
music ends peacefully on a quiet note. Perhaps eulogizing the gay Vienna of the
closing decades of the Habsburg Empire, which was destroyed forever by the First
World War.

This quartet is truly a modern masterwork. That it
did not achieve the fame it deserved and was not taken seriously can only be due
to the fact that its composer was a violin virtuoso known for writing effective
encore pieces. It deserves to be heard in concert and will be enjoyed by
experienced amateur players as well.